We all love customising our phones – from setting different ringtones for each of our contacts and choosing a unique background image, to finding personalised phone cases that match our distinctive style. So, it’s no wonder that the mobile app market is continuing to grow – after all, what better way to customise your smartphone than by adding apps that somehow enhance your lifestyle?

mobile app marketAccording to ABI Research, the mobile app market is projected to be worth $27 billion (£17.5 billion) in 2013 – and this will prove to be a major factor in the battle between mobile operating systems (OS), particularly as tablet adoption expands.

Senior analyst at ABI, Josh Flood, explained: “iOS [Apple’s OS] continues to lead the way and the OS is projected to generate over two-thirds of the revenues for smartphone and tablet apps in 2013.”

He added that, although Android (Google’s OS) actually offers more apps than Apple, “iOS users continue to prove they’re more willing to depart with their cash”. This means that the overall revenue gap between Apple and Android is unlikely to close over the next 18 months.

ABI also reports that, although app sales generated by tablets were once ‘dwarfed’ by those generated by smartphones, tablets are beginning to catch up. In fact, tablet revenues are expected to overtake smartphones by 2017.

tablet accessoriesThis is mainly due to the fact that tablet users are generally willing to pay more for tablet apps due to the larger screen size and better user experience for activities like reading and gaming.

Along with the rise in expenditure for smartphone apps, there is also an increase in the sales of smartphone and tablet made to order accessories.

Higher Demand for Tablets

Meanwhile, research firm Gartner has reported tablet shipments are expected to grow by 67.9% in 2013, with shipments reaching 202 million units. This is in stark contrast to the sharp drop in traditional PCs – including desktop and laptop models – which is forecast to decline by around 7.3%.

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